People v. Wilson CA2/7 ( 2020 )


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  • Filed 12/15/20 P. v. Wilson CA2/7
    NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS
    California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions
    not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion
    has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.
    IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
    SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT
    DIVISION SEVEN
    THE PEOPLE,                                                  B299859
    Plaintiff and Respondent,                           (Los Angeles County
    Super. Ct. No. ZM003215)
    v.
    MARK WILSON,
    Defendant and Appellant.
    APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of
    Los Angeles County, Raul A. Sahugun, Judge. Affirmed.
    Christopher Lionel Haberman, under appointment by the
    Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.
    Xavier Becerra, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief
    Assistant Attorney General, Susan Sullivan Pithey, Senior
    Assistant Attorney General, Paul M. Roadarmel, Jr., Supervising
    Deputy Attorney General, and Stephanie A. Miyoshi, Deputy
    Attorney General for Plaintiff and Respondent.
    _______________
    Following a bench trial the superior court found Mark
    Wilson was a sexually violent predator (SVP) and committed him
    to the custody of the State Department of State Hospitals (DSH).
    On appeal Wilson argues the court acted in excess of its
    jurisdiction by considering the People’s SVP petition when there
    was no likelihood his nearly two-decade-long commitment as a
    mentally disordered offender would be lifted and he would be
    released into the community. He also contends the court relied
    on improper factors in making its ruling and its SVP finding was
    not supported by substantial evidence. We affirm.
    FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
    1. Wilson’s Convictions for Sexually Violent Offenses and
    Civil Commitments
    In September 1977 Wilson, then 18 years old, was
    hitchhiking when 19-year-old Susan W. offered him a ride. After
    telling Susan he was a violent person and had recently killed
    three people, Wilson told her to do what he said and he would not
    harm her. He raped her in her car, then made her perform oral
    sex. Susan managed to escape and call police.
    Wilson was arrested and charged with rape by threat.
    Susan told police Wilson had acted as if he were mentally ill.
    Wilson’s father also told police his son was mentally ill. Wilson
    pleaded guilty as part of a negotiated plea that required him to
    be assessed as a Mentally Disordered Sex Offender (MDSO)
    1
    (Welf. & Inst. Code, former § 6300) and provided, if he did not
    qualify, he would be placed on five years’ probation with the
    1
    Statutory references are to this code unless otherwise
    stated.
    2
    2
    condition he serve one year in the county jail. After a hearing
    and finding Wilson did not meet the criteria for commitment as
    an MDSO, the court suspended execution of sentence, including
    the one-year term in county jail, and placed Wilson on probation
    for five years.
    In 1981 Wilson grabbed Theresa S., pulled her into a
    church, threatened to kill her if she gave him any trouble, and
    forced her to perform oral sex. Following his arrest Wilson told
    police he had sexual problems and he had fantasies of raping
    frightened women. In March 1981, pursuant to a negotiated
    agreement, Wilson pleaded guilty to forcible oral copulation.
    Under the plea agreement Wilson would either be adjudged an
    MDSO or serve eight years in prison. In July 1981, following a
    MDSO hearing, proceedings were suspended; and Wilson was
    committed to Patton State Hospital as an MDSO, where he
    remained until his release in April 1989.
    2
    MDSO laws, which authorized civil commitment after
    conviction of a sex offense for a period not to exceed the
    maximum term of imprisonment that could have been imposed
    for the offense (former §§ 6302, 6316.1), were repealed January 1,
    1982 (Stats. 1981, ch. 928, § 2). “When it repealed the MDSO
    scheme, the Legislature provided that individuals then
    committed as MDSO’s and those whose terms of commitment had
    been extended under the law would remain subject to the
    provisions of the MDSO law ‘until the commitments are
    terminated and the persons are returned to the court for
    resumption of the criminal proceedings.’” (People v. Green (2000)
    
    79 Cal.App.4th 921
    , 925; accord, Baker v. Superior Court (1984)
    
    35 Cal.3d 663
    , 667; Landau v. Superior Court (2019)
    
    32 Cal.App.5th 1072
    , 1086, fn. 7.)
    3
    In June 1990 Wilson was admitted involuntarily to
    Metropolitan State Hospital with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder
    mixed with mood congruent psychotic features. While
    hospitalized he assaulted a psychiatric technician. He was
    convicted in 1993 of assault causing great bodily injury and
    sentenced to nine years in state prison.
    In May 1999 Wilson was found to be a mentally disordered
    offender (MDO) (Pen. Code, § 2962), committed to the custody of
    DHS and transferred to Atascadero State Hospital. Wilson has
    remained in DHS custody ever since, with continuous extensions
    of his MDO commitment.
    2. Petition for Commitment as an SVP
    In May 1999 the People filed a petition to commit Wilson as
    an SVP within the meaning of the Sexually Violent Predator Act
    (SVPA) (§ 6600 et seq.) Following a hearing in November 2004
    the court found probable cause to support the petition. Trial was
    continued or stayed multiple times over the years, all at Wilson’s
    3
    requests.
    In June and July 2019 a court trial was held on the petition
    4
    to commit Wilson as an SVP for a period of two years.
    3
    Wilson does not challenge the delay between the filing of
    the petition and the trial.
    4
    At the time the SVP petition was filed, former section 6604
    limited the civil commitment to two years, subject to renewal by
    the People. (See Stats. 1995, ch. 763, § 3; People v. McKee (2010)
    
    47 Cal.4th 1172
    , 1186.) In 2006 the SVPA was amended by
    legislation, and later that year by Proposition 83, a ballot
    measure approved by the voters on November 7, 2006 (“Jessica’s
    Law”), to replace the two-year commitment term with an
    4
    3. The SVP Trial
    a. The People’s evidence
    The People provided expert testimony from two
    psychologists, Drs. Michael Musacco and Christopher Matosich.
    Dr. Musacco, a licensed clinical forensic psychologist, has
    evaluated, diagnosed and treated sex offenders for more than
    30 years. He currently works under contract with DSH to
    evaluate whether an individual meets the criteria for
    classification as an SVP or MDO. Dr. Musacco evaluated Wilson
    in 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2018. Evaluations consisted of review of
    Wilson’s criminal record (including arrest and probation reports
    documenting the details of the offenses); written reports by other
    psychologists who were no longer involved in the case; his own
    interviews with Wilson; and diagnostic assessments, including
    the Stat-99R assessment, which Dr. Musacco described as
    “limited,” but also “the most widely used and best validated cross
    validated instrument.”
    Dr. Musacco opined Wilson suffered from severe mental
    illness, including schizoaffective disorder with delusional beliefs
    and auditory hallucinations that interfered with his ability even
    to make day-to-day decisions. Wilson blamed his mother’s
    hypnotizing powers, as well as voices he heard in his head, for
    indefinite term of commitment. (See People v. Castillo (2010)
    
    49 Cal.4th 145
    , 149; People v. Superior Court (Vasquez) (2018)
    
    27 Cal.App.5th 36
    , 42, fn. 2.) To avoid a lengthy dispute over
    application of Jessica’s Law to then-pending SVP petitions or
    requests for immediate trial before voters decided on the ballot
    measure, in 2006 the People stipulated that any order of
    commitment based on petitions pending prior to the effective date
    of Jessica’s Law, including the petition in the case at bar, would
    be limited to two years.
    5
    committing his sexual assault crimes. His psychosis became
    worse, not better, over time. In 2014 Wilson blamed “the voices”
    for telling him to touch a fellow patient’s buttocks. He told
    Dr. Musacco he had committed 12 to 18 other rapes, although
    Dr. Musacco did not necessarily believe those statements. Wilson
    also told Dr. Musacco he would not rape again, in part because
    the cell phone that had been implanted in his body had been
    5
    removed.
    Based on his own evaluation of Wilson and the descriptions
    of Wilson’s sexual offenses contained in his criminal record,
    Dr. Musacco opined Wilson also suffered from other specified
    paraphilic disorder/nonconsent (OSPD). Dr. Musacco defined
    paraphilia as any “deviant sexual arousal behavior pattern” and
    OSPD as a specific form of paraphilia in that the perpetrator’s
    arousal is based on coercion of the sexual act. He acknowledged
    that OSPD was a controversial diagnosis in that, unlike other
    forms of paraphilia, it had never been recognized in the
    Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM),
    including the current DSM-5. He expressly stated rape alone is
    not a basis to find someone suffers from OSPD/nonconsent; most
    rapists do not suffer from OSPD/nonconsent; and the sexual
    urges that inform all forms of paraphilia are diminished by
    age 60, Wilson’s age at the time of the SVP trial. Nonetheless,
    Dr. Musacco explained, Wilson’s “drive for the sexual behaviors is
    5
    Wilson also claimed to have come from “outer space,” was
    personally acquainted with Captain Kirk, had been reincarnated
    as Abraham Lincoln, and had difficulty obtaining an erection or
    ejaculating because “Jon Bon Jovi took it [his sperm] out of me
    . . . humanly and spiritually.”
    6
    significantly related to the psychosis and his psychosis hasn’t
    diminished one iota from [ages] 40 to 60.”
    Dr. Musacco opined Wilson posed a serious and well-
    founded risk for committing a predatory sexual offense if
    released. Even apart from the Stat-99R scores and the OSPD
    diagnosis, Dr. Musacco believed, Wilson’s severe schizoaffective
    disorder, combined with his sexual obsessions and difficulty
    distinguishing fantasy from reality, made him likely to reoffend
    6
    in a sexually violent way if released into the community.
    b. Wilson’s evidence
    Dr. Mary Jane Alumbaugh, a psychologist with more than
    30 years experience, works under contract with DSH evaluating
    individuals for whether they meet the criteria for MDO and/or
    SVP. Dr. Alumbaugh agreed with Dr. Musacco that Wilson
    suffered from severe schizoaffective disorder. However, she did
    not believe that he suffered from OSPD, a controversial diagnosis
    to which she gave little credit. In any event, there was nothing
    that led her to believe the sexual turn-on for Wilson was the
    coercive aspect of the rape and not other aspects of the crime.
    Dr. Alumbaugh believed Wilson was severely mentally ill; she did
    not believe, based on her analysis of Wilson’s mental health
    records, criminal records, interviews and performance on the
    Stat-99R, that Wilson’s severe mental illness predisposed him to
    commit sexually violent offenses. Dr. Alumbaugh emphasized
    6
    Dr. Matosich, a clinical and forensic psychologist, testified
    in a similar fashion for the People. However, the court was
    critical of some aspects of Dr. Matosich’s opinion that relied on
    inadmissible hearsay and did not credit them. Because it
    appears the court did not rely on any part of Dr. Matosich’s
    testimony in reaching its decision, we do not detail it here.
    7
    Wilson’s age as a significant factor in reaching her opinion,
    noting the recidivism rate for rapists 60 years old or older was
    3 to 4 percent. Dr. Alumbaugh conceded Wilson’s mental illness
    predisposed him to violence and that, due to the nature of his
    unremitting mental illness, he would continue to be a danger to
    himself and to others if he were ever released. However, based
    on her experience evaluating and treating SVP and MDO
    patients, Dr. Alumbaugh believed Wilson was properly classified
    as an MDO, not an SVP.
    Dr. Christopher North, a psychologist employed by DSH,
    has been conducting SVP evaluations for more than 25 years. He
    evaluated Wilson six times in connection with the SVP petition,
    in 1999, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2018 and 2019. In 1999 and 2004
    Dr. North concluded Wilson met the criteria as an SVP. In 1999
    and 2004 Dr. North found Wilson suffered from paraphilia
    because he had a preoccupation with sex generally and rape in
    particular. However, in 2007 Dr. North found no evidence Wilson
    continued to harbor any desire to rape and found it compelling
    that he had not voiced urges to rape or acted on those urges since
    1981. By 2007 Dr. North saw no evidence of paraphilia and
    believed Wilson was “aging out” of it. While there was no doubt
    that Wilson suffered from schizoaffective disorder, by 2007
    Dr. North found little evidence of sexual preoccupation.
    Dr. North acknowledged that Wilson had told a female hospital
    employee in 2012 that he wanted to corner her and rape her, but
    was not persuaded that single incident suggested Wilson
    continued to suffer from a sexual disorder. Considering the
    foregoing facts, along with Wilson’s current age, Dr. North opined
    Wilson was unlikely to commit sexually assaultive acts if
    released.
    8
    4. The Parties’ Closing Arguments
    In closing argument Wilson’s counsel asserted his client
    was severely psychotic and a danger to the public but not a
    sexually violent predator. Whatever sexually violent proclivities
    Wilson may have had in his past, they were no longer present at
    age 60. Protection of the public, he argued, was properly served
    by the MDO commitment procedure, not by an SVP commitment
    that simply did not apply to Wilson. As he did prior to trial,
    Wilson’s counsel requested the court dismiss the petition because
    Wilson, already committed as an MDO, would never be released
    into the community and thus posed no danger to the public.
    The People acknowledged that Wilson was not a typical
    SVP in that he suffers from multiple mental disorders that
    predispose him to committing a variety of dangerous acts,
    including but not limited to sexual violence. Emphasizing
    Dr. Musacco’s testimony that Wilson’s schizoaffective disorder
    and paraphilia were enmeshed, the People argued those multiple
    disorders cannot be separately evaluated; they exist together and,
    coupled with a preoccupation with sex and sexual violence,
    predispose Wilson to committing sexually violent offenses if he
    were released into the community.
    5. The Court’s Ruling on the SVP Commitment Petition
    The court found beyond a reasonable doubt that Wilson
    satisfied all the criteria for commitment as an SVP: (1) He had
    been convicted of a qualifying offense; (2) he has been diagnosed
    with a current mental illness; and (3) the illness makes him a
    danger to the health and safety of others in that he is likely to
    engage in acts of sexual violence upon release from a secure
    facility. In explaining its ruling, the court stated it was “very
    impressed with Dr. Musacco” and found his opinion that Wilson
    9
    remained predisposed to committing sexually violent predatory
    offenses persuasive. “[Dr. Musacco]’s very very experienced. He
    set forth all his reasons why he thought [Wilson] . . . met the SVP
    requirements; that he continues to display conduct which was
    troubling to the doctor and he still had these—still hears voices
    telling him what to do, telling him to do things.” The court
    continued, “If I was convinced that he was in a secure setting and
    was committed to remain there, I might have a different opinion.
    He’s only on—he’s only there on a temporary order under
    [MDO]—as an [MDO]. . . . If I were certain he would remain
    there, it would be a different story, but I can’t assume that he’s
    gonna be—continue to be renewed on an [MDO] status in
    perpetuity. If he were to be released, that would be a problem.
    That would be a problem. And so I give great weight and I’m
    persuaded by Dr. Musacco’s opinion.”
    The court ordered Wilson committed to DHS custody as an
    SVP for two years, until July 2, 2021, in accordance with the
    parties’ stipulation.
    DISCUSSION
    1. Governing Law
    The SVPA “authorizes the involuntary civil commitment of
    a person who has completed a prison term but is found to be a
    sexually violent predator . . . . [Citations.] The SVPA’s purposes
    are ‘“to protect the public from dangerous felony offenders with
    mental disorders and to provide mental health treatment for
    their disorders.”’” (State Dept. of State Hospitals v. Superior
    Court (2015) 
    61 Cal.4th 339
    , 344.)
    To establish an individual is a sexually violent predator,
    the People must prove beyond a reasonable doubt (1) the
    individual has been convicted of a qualifying sexually violent
    10
    offense against one or more victims; (2) the individual suffers
    from a diagnosed mental disorder that makes him or her a
    danger to the health and safety of others in that (3) it is likely he
    or she will engage in sexually violent criminal behavior.
    (See §§ 6600, subd. (a)(1) [defining elements of SVP], 6604
    [imposing beyond a reasonable doubt standard]; People v. Roa
    (2017) 
    11 Cal.App.5th 428
    , 443; see generally State Dept. of State
    7
    Hospitals v. Superior Court, supra, 61 Cal.4th at pp. 345-346.)
    2. The Court Did Not Act in Excess of Its Jurisdiction
    Relying on People v. Putney (2016) 
    1 Cal.App.5th 1058
    ,
    1068 (Putney), Wilson contends the superior court acted in excess
    of its jurisdiction in proceeding with the SVP petition when it
    was clear Wilson’s MDO commitment would continue to be
    renewed and there was no likelihood he posed any danger to the
    public. In Putney the state petitioned to commit Thomas Earl
    Putney as an SVP shortly after he had been sentenced to a state
    prison term of 25 years to life. The court of appeal held the
    petition should be dismissed as premature, explaining “an
    7
    The SVPA, including section 6600, subdivision (a)(1), has
    been amended several times since May 1999 when the petition
    was filed. Among other differences between the former and
    current SVPA, former section 6600, subdivision (a)(1), in effect in
    April 1999 at the time the petition was filed, required the
    defendant to have committed a sexually violent offense against
    two or more victims for which he or she received a determinate
    sentence. (See Stats. 1996, ch. 462, § 4.) Former section 6604, in
    effect at the time the petition was filed, limited the commitment
    term to two years. (See Stats. 1995, ch. 763, § 3.) Because none
    of the differences in the several iterations of the SVPA affects the
    issues raised in this appeal and both parties cite to, and discuss,
    the SVPA in its current form, we do as well.
    11
    offender who has no prospect of being released from custody for
    many years does not meet the definition of an SVP [under
    section 6600, subdivision (a)(1)] since the offender poses no
    danger to the public.” (Id. at pp. 1068-1069.)
    Wilson likens his MDO commitment to Putney’s lengthy
    prison sentence, emphasizing his MDO commitment had been
    renewed every year for nearly two decades based on findings his
    severe psychosis made him a danger to the public. As long as he
    remained a danger to the community, Wilson would continue to
    be committed as an MDO with mental health treatment, posing
    no danger to the public. Wilson also emphasizes that all
    testifying experts, including Dr. Musacco, acknowledged Wilson’s
    psychosis interfered with his ability to engage in, let alone benefit
    from, SVP treatment. Under those circumstances, Wilson argues,
    the SVPA’s primary objectives of protecting the public and
    providing treatment were not furthered by adjudicating the SVP
    petition; and the court erred by proceeding with the trial rather
    than dismissing the petition. (See Putney, supra, 1 Cal.App.5th
    at p. 1071 [“the [SVP] trial was aimed at resolving the theoretical
    question of whether Putney was too dangerous for an imminent
    release he had virtually no possibility of obtaining[;] [w]e cannot
    approve such a pointless exercise”].)
    Wilson made the same argument in his pretrial motion to
    dismiss. The court rejected it, correctly observing that, unlike
    Putney, Wilson was not subject to a lengthy prison sentence or
    even a lengthy commitment. His MDO status was subject to
    renewal every year. (Pen. Code, §§ 2970, 2972, subds. (a), (c).)
    That Wilson’s MDO commitment was temporary materially
    distinguished his circumstances from those in Putney. (See
    People v. Superior Court (Perez) (1999) 
    75 Cal.App.4th 394
    , 402,
    12
    405 [superior court erred in dismissing SVP petition on ground
    the defendant was subject to deportation; while deportation was a
    8
    possibility, it was not a foregone conclusion].) Moreover, the
    SVPA does not limit eligibility to those who are able to benefit
    from treatment, despite treatment being an objective of the
    statute. The court did not exceed its discretion in denying
    Wilson’s motion to dismiss and considering the People’s SVP
    petition.
    3. The Trial Court Did Not Consider Improper Factors in
    Making Its SVP Determination
    Citing the court’s language at the time of trial—“If I were
    certain he would remain there, it would be a different story, but I
    can’t assume that he’s gonna be—continue to be renewed on
    [MDO] status in perpetuity[;] [i]f he were to be release[d], that
    would be a problem”—Wilson contends the court relied on
    improper and irrelevant considerations rather than statutory
    elements in finding him an SVP. (Cf. People v. Moore (1968)
    
    257 Cal.App.2d 740
    , 750 [court in criminal case erred in refusing
    to reduce the charged offense to manslaughter due to the risk to
    community posed by defendant’s mental health issues rather
    than the governing law; trier of fact is not to consider
    consequences of verdict in rendering decision].)
    Viewing the record as a whole and the court’s comments in
    context, it is plain the court was responding to Wilson’s
    argument, made again at the close of evidence, that his MDO
    commitment alone essentially foreclosed any finding he was a
    danger to the public. Following that entirely proper response to
    8
    Nothing bars a dual commitment as an MDO and SVP, a
    point Wilson concedes.
    13
    Wilson’s argument, the court expressly credited Dr. Musacco’s
    testimony that Wilson met all the criteria for an SVP, finding
    persuasive the various bases Dr. Musacco offered to support his
    opinion. The court did not rely on improper factors when
    considering the SVP petition.
    4. Substantial Evidence Supports the Court’s Findings
    Wilson acknowledges the first two statutory elements
    necessary to support a SVP finding were satisfied: Wilson had
    been arrested for a qualifying offense and suffered from a
    diagnosed mental disorder that made him a danger to himself
    and others. However, he contends the evidence was insufficient
    to support the court’s finding as to the third element—that he
    was likely to engage in sexually violent criminal behavior if
    9
    released.
    9
    In determining whether the evidence is sufficient to
    support a commitment under the SVPA, “‘“courts apply the same
    test as for reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence to support a
    criminal conviction.”’” (People v. McCloud (2013) 
    213 Cal.App.4th 1076
    , 1088; accord, People v. Carlin (2007) 
    150 Cal.App.4th 322
    ,
    333.) That is, we review the record to determine whether any
    rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements
    supporting the SVP determination beyond a reasonable doubt.
    (McCloud, at p. 1088.) In making this determination, “‘we review
    the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution and
    presume in support of the judgment the existence of every fact
    the jury could reasonably have deduced from the evidence.
    [Citation.] “Conflicts and even testimony [that] is subject to
    justifiable suspicion do not justify the reversal of a judgment, for
    it is the exclusive province of the trial judge or jury to determine
    the credibility of a witness and the truth or falsity of the facts
    upon which a determination depends. [Citation.] We resolve
    neither credibility issues nor evidentiary conflicts; we look for
    14
    The determination a person is “‘likely to engage in acts of
    sexual violence’” requires more than simply a finding of “more
    likely than not.” (People v. Shazier (2014) 
    60 Cal.4th 109
    , 126;
    accord, People v. Roberge (2003) 
    29 Cal.4th 979
    , 987.) Rather, the
    “the standard of likelihood is met ‘when “the person presents a
    substantial danger, that is, a serious and well-founded risk, that
    he or she will commit such crimes if free in the community.”’”
    (Shazier, at p. 126; accord, Roberge, at p. 982.)
    In contending the evidence was insufficient, Wilson
    observes that he last committed a sexually violent offense nearly
    40 years ago, in 1981, when he was 22 years old. Although
    Wilson threatened to rape a hospital staff member in 2012 when
    she reprimanded him, and had consensual sex with another
    patient in exchange for food in 2014, he had not engaged in any
    nonconsensual sexual behavior during his 39 years in
    confinement. Furthermore, as all the testifying experts
    acknowledged, Wilson’s age—nearly 60 years old—significantly
    reduced the likelihood of recidivism for a sexually violent offense.
    In addition, Wilson emphasizes the testimony of his two expert
    witnesses: Dr. North testified Wilson had “aged out” of his
    paraphilic disorder and no longer met the criteria for SVP; and
    Dr. Alumbaugh testified Wilson did not suffer from OSPD, even if
    it were a legitimate illness recognized in the psychiatric
    community, which she doubted.
    substantial evidence. [Citation.]” [Citation.] A reversal for
    insufficient evidence “is unwarranted unless it appears that
    ‘upon no hypothesis whatever is there sufficient substantial
    evidence to support’” the jury’s verdict.’” (People v. Penunuri
    (2018) 
    5 Cal.5th 126
    , 142; accord, People v. Westerfield (2019)
    
    6 Cal.5th 632
    , 713.)
    15
    In characterizing this as a “difficult case,” the court cited
    the conflicting opinions of the testifying experts as to whether
    Wilson posed a serious, well-founded risk of criminal sexual
    behavior if he were released. In concluding he did, the court
    relied exclusively on Dr. Musacco’s testimony that Wilson’s
    schizoaffective disorder, combined with his hypersexuality and
    sexual preoccupations, created a substantial risk he would
    engage in predatory sexual behavior if released. Dr. Musacco
    also testified he was not surprised Wilson had not acted on his
    urges while in DHS custody, explaining it was rare for SVP’s to
    engage in such conduct while in a confined setting. Dr. Musacco’s
    opinion, which is not challenged by Wilson as speculative or
    unsound, was sufficient, even though in conflict with those of the
    other experts, to support the court’s conclusion. (See People v.
    Wright (2016) 
    4 Cal.App.5th 537
    , 545 [testimony of single
    witness, including expert witness, is sufficient to constitute
    substantial evidence, unless testimony is based on speculation or
    conjecture]; People v. Bowers (2006) 
    145 Cal.App.4th 870
    , 879
    [psychologist’s expert opinion defendant posed danger to public
    due to her mental illness was sufficient to support jury’s
    finding].)
    Finally, similar to the arguments he made in connection
    with his motion to dismiss, Wilson urges Dr. Musacco’s opinion
    rested on the wrong hypothetical. The proper question, Wilson
    insists, is not whether he would be likely to engage in predatory
    sexual behavior if released, but whether, “[i]f [Wilson] were living
    in a secure mental health facility receiving treatment for his
    mental health condition under a conservatorship or MDO
    commitment, would [he] pose a serious, well-founded risk to
    commit sexually violent predatory offenses.” When viewed from
    16
    this perspective, Wilson asserts, “the answer is obviously that he
    does not.”
    Wilson’s MDO commitment was set to expire in April 2019.
    That it would have likely been (and has since been) renewed, as
    we have explained, did not preclude the court from considering
    the SVP petition. (Cf. Putney, supra, 1 Cal.App.5th at p. 1069.)
    Dr. Musacco properly opined on Wilson’s propensity to commit
    sexually violent acts if he were released. The court credited his
    opinion. Substantial evidence supported the court’s finding.
    DISPOSITION
    The judgment is affirmed.
    PERLUSS, P. J
    We concur:
    SEGAL, J.
    FEUER, J.
    17
    

Document Info

Docket Number: B299859

Filed Date: 12/15/2020

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 12/15/2020